Bowden: National title still possible

TALLAHASSEE -- Florida State coach Bobby Bowden admits he and his Seminoles have had more than their share of good luck when it comes to getting to national championship games.

Now he's hoping for just a little more.

''We're better off now than the year we lost to Notre Dame,'' Bowden recalled this week. ''That was a week before the season was over.''

With games remaining against a pair of Top 10 teams and with other ranked teams still facing tough games, Bowden is thinking positive as his club embarks on the road back with a Saturday warmup against winless Duke.

''I'd think we have as good a chance as anybody else of getting back there,'' Bowden said. ''But we've got to take 'em one at a time.''

Florida State (5-1, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) was knocked out of its No. 1 ranking last week after a 27-24 defeat at Miami. It isn't the first time the Seminoles have had to play out of the losers' bracket to contend for college football's mythical title.

Bowden's 1993 Seminoles rebounded from their 31-24 defeat in South Bend, Ind., to an unbeaten Irish team that would lose the next week to Boston College.

Led by Heisman Trophy winner Charlie Ward, the Seminoles responded with victories over North Carolina State and Florida and then defeated Nebraska 18-16 in the Orange Bowl for the school's first national title.

In 1998, Florida State was beaten by North Carolina State but then got its shot in the national title game against Tennessee when UCLA and Kansas State faltered in their last regular season games.

''We've got to have some help,'' concedes Bowden, who is once again counting on lady luck. ''We've been through it before.''

Hapless Duke (0-5, 0-2 ACC) is 0-8 against Florida State, giving up 50 or more points in five of the meetings.

However, the Seminoles will be without backup quarterback Marcus Outzen, who was suspended for the game for breaking team rules.

Outzen was charged with simple battery after an early morning fight Friday, a Tallahassee police spokesman said. He wasn't jailed, signing a promise to appear in court for the misdemeanor charge.

Because Bowden is trying to redshirt two other backups, walk-on Stephen De La Motte could see some playing time behind Chris Weinke.

Weinke and his not-so-well-known band of receivers lead the nation in total yards and passing yardage.

The group is led by senior Snoop Minnis, who is enjoying his first season as a starter with 34 catches good for 623 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Junior Atrews Bell, a former walk-on, has scored seven TDs among his 18 catches.

The Blue Devils have scored only 44 points all season, half of those coming in at 52-22 loss to Clemson two weeks ago.

Duke coach Carl Franks was waiting until Saturday to decide on his starting quarterback.

Senior Spencer Romine has seen the most action, but has also thrown six interceptions and no touchdown passes. D. Bryant, who has thrown Duke's only TD pass this season, would give the Blue Devils some added mobility at quarterback.